Gary Boas, News Editor, gary.boas@photonics.comResearchers face old-school challenges in developing state-of-the-art technologies. Researchers and clinicians use fiber optic-based probes for a wide range of applications – which means the probes must exhibit varying amounts of complexity. On one end of that spectrum sit the...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESEndospectroscopic Imaging Takes Optical Biopsies to the Next LevelSpectroscopy has the potential to provide pathologists with fast in vivo tissue characterization to determine tumor type and grade and to delineate tumor margins. However, extending the applicability...BioPhotonics January 2018 IssueVia Photonics, Secure CommunicationsMuch of the world’s communications travel by light. So, data carried on photons moving through free space or over fiber must be made as secure as possible. Quantum key distribution helps do...Photonics Spectra August 2017 IssueThin 2D Materials Pack a Heavy PunchTwo-dimensional materials such as graphene, as well as composite materials such as the layered semiconductor germanium selenium, could have a big impact on myriad applications. Composite...EuroPhotonics December 2017 IssueGetting More Out of Telecom FiberThe rising amount of data generated by people and machines around the world travels largely by fiber, with some of it moving thousands of miles in a hop. For some long jumps, new ultralow-loss, large...Photonics Spectra March 2018 IssuePRODUCTSThe Ultimate Polisher for BiophotonicsNOVA™ is multi-configurable, supporting a variety of biophotonic polishing applications from connectors to endoscopes, OCT bare fibers to image bundles, as well as custom components....Promoted Content May 2018 IssueFiber Optic Micro-CathetersThe FISO-LS series of fiber optic microcatheters from Harvard Apparatus was designed as semidisposable for multi-use applications in the life sciences and small animal research. Unlike its...Photonics.com 5/22/2017Fiber Optic CableThe AccuTube+ Rollable Ribbon Fiber Optic Cable from OFS Fitel LLC doubles fiber intensity. Available with 1728 and 3456 fibers, these cables can be installed in common 1 1/4- and 2-in. ducts,...Photonics.com 9/28/2017VLMA/Raman Solutions: Modules from OFSHigh power Er-doped fibers have unique advantages in various applications. Operation at 1550 nm provides atmospheric window of transparency and increased eye safety compared to 1 mm. ...Photonics Buyers' Guide January 2017 IssueMEDIASCHOTT Solutions for InVitro DiagnosticsLight is not always simply light when it comes to clinical diagnoses, light is the key to prediction accuracy in analytical quality. Our solution: a flexible fiber optic multi-branch device with...Photonics.com 3/14/2018Photonics West 2017 Ushers in the New Year - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2017Photonics Media followed the photons all the way to San Francisco earlier this month for SPIE’s Photonics West 2017. The year truly begins with this event for many in the industry, as it is a symbol...Photonics.com 2/23/2017Light Matters Extra: Taking Photonics Innovations from the Lab to the Operating Room - 01.2018In this month's Light Matters Extra, we give you an in-depth look at the relationship between researchers and scientists at the University of California Davis, and surgeons and clinicians at nearby...Photonics.com 1/18/2018Photonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018WHITEPAPERSOptSim Circuit: A SPICE-Like Photonic Simulator for Scalable PhotonicThe time for large-scale photonic integrated circuits (PICs) has arrived. Governments, academia and industry are all onboard to transfer knowledge gained from decades of manufacturing experience in...Photonics.com 4/1/2017Optimal Lighting Design Boosts Efficiency of Medical Diagnostic InstrumentsWhen it comes to clinical diagnoses, light is the key to prediction accuracy and to making progress in analytical quality. However, light is not always simply light. “What really makes the difference...Photonics.com 10/1/2018How to Fail Fast and Smart During the Optical Product Design ProcessFailure is an inevitable part of the product development process, because you have to explore all the ways a design won’t work to find the way it will work. When you’re in a situation that demands...Photonics.com 4/3/2018Advances in Precision Parallel Robotics: Hexapods Improve Production ProcessesPrecision assembly processes in the semiconductor, electronics, and automobile industries are benefitting from new capabilities of hexapod 6-axis motion and positioning systems in production...Photonics.com 5/1/2017WEBINARSComputational Microscopy, Sensing and Diagnostics for Telemedicine and Global Health ApplicationsAdditional Questions and Answers from the Webinar are below: With more than 6 billion cell phone users in the world, the majority of them in developing countries, there are opportunities for...Photonics.com 6/5/2013Micro-Spectroscopy: Enabling Research From Novel Nano-Devices To Clinical DiagnosisMicro-spectroscopy is an ever developing modality for new and exciting research in the areas of nano-technology and bioscience. This webinar will look at modular approaches to microspectroscopy and...Photonics.com 3/24/2015Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital ConferenceResearchers from around the world presented their latest work at “Biophotonic Imaging for Medicine: A Digital Conference.” Presentations focused on a range of light-based imaging and...Photonics.com 6/11/2015Simulating Metamaterials in the Terahertz RegimeIf you want to learn how to simulate metamaterials in the terahertz regime, then tune into this webinar, presented by COMSOL. Metamaterials are engineered to have specific material properties. They...Photonics.com 4/27/2017PHOTONICS DICTIONARY TERMSfiber opticsThe use of thin flexible glass or plastic fibers as wave guides - or "light pipes" - to channel light from one location to another. Fiber optics is based off of the principle of total internal...EDU.photonics.com 3/5/2018vapor-phase axial deposition (VAD)A process by which high-quality fiber optics are made. See axial vapor-phase deposition.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009attenuation-limited powerIn fiber optics, the limitation on performance imposed by the amplitude of a received signal rather than distortion.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009photonicsThe technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and...EDU.photonics.com 3/22/2016PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESLight Is the Ultimate Medium for High-Speed Communications: Thanks to innovations with heterogeneous material integration and multiphotonic layer stacking, silicon photonics will drive optical solutions to high volumes and low costs.Silicon photonics is widely considered a key enabling technology for further development of optical interconnect solutions needed to address growing traffic on the internet. From the first submarine...Photonics HandbookA History of the Laser: A Trip Through the Light FantasticA HISTORY OF THE LASER In honor of the laser turning 50, here is a timeline of some of the more notable scientific accomplishments related to light amplification by stimulated emission of...Photonics HandbookFluorescence Lifetime Imaging Made Easy: Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), which measures the spatial distribution of the fluorescence decay, can be achieved either in the time or in the frequency domain. Each approach exhibits advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type of light detector and acquisition method employed.The term fluorescence is often applied as a synonym for photoluminescence, although luminescence actually covers fluorescence and phosphorescence. Both of these terms describe the process of...Photonics HandbookMicroscopy: Key Considerations for Nonlaser Light Sources: Metal halide and LED light sources are changing the illumination landscape in microscopy. Brighter, easier to use and growing in application, they are driving new options in fluorescence, conventional bright-field and other contrast techniques.As recently as five years ago, shopping for a microscope light source was fairly straightforward. For routine applications, it was tungsten halogen, typically 100 W, while for fluorescence, it was an...Photonics HandbookPHOTONICS BUYERS' GUIDE CATEGORIESEndoscopesAn endoscope is a medical instrument used to view inside the human body. The endoscope may use a coherent fiber optic bundle or conventional optics to relay the image to the eye or a television...PhotodiodesA photodiode is a two-electrode, radiation-sensitive junction formed in a semiconductor material in which the reverse current varies with illumination. Photodiodes are used for the detection of...Electro-Optic ModulatorsAn electro-optic modulator is a device that uses an applied electrical field to alter the polarization properties of light.Fiber Optic CableA fiber optic cable is a package for an optical fiber or fibers that may include cladding, buffering, strength members and an outer jacket.COMPANIESEvanescent Optics Inc.Evanescent Optics Inc. acquired the assets and employee group of Canadian Instrumentation & Research Ltd. in August 2009 and continues production and development of the suite of fiber optic...Photonics Buyers' Guide